Former CIA Contractor: US Plan To Topple Assad ‘Enters New Stage’

A former CIA/NSA contractor Steven Kelley claims that the Pentagon is entering a “new stage” by threatening to use air power in Syria​ if US backed forces in the country come under attack.

President Obama authorised the use airstrikes against those who attack the US trained rebels in Syria…. a move that has already raised concerns that the U.S. military could come into direct conflict with government forces in Syria.

Press TV reports: White House National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said the Obama administration has made clear it will “take the steps necessary to ensure that these forces could successfully carry out their mission.”

He added that the support would include “defensive fires support to protect them.”

“President Obama’s recent authorization of using air power to support this, defend this new US-backed force fighting in Syria seems to be a new pathetic escalation,” Kelley told Press TV on Monday.

“This is a very negative advance in this entire episode,” he said.

“I think it’s still pathetic and shows that the American efforts to topple Assad seem to be reaching a new stage.”

The analyst also criticized the United States for intervention in Syria’s internal affairs.

“The people that they are recruiting have no interest in fighting against ISIS (ISIL). They’re strictly there to fight against Assad,” Kelley said.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since March 2011. The United States and its regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside the country.